E3 2017: All the games and announcements that matter

E3 2017 is upon us. With all the major conferences done and dusted, here are all the major announcements and games from the world's largest games show.

Microsoft announced that its new 4K super console, the Xbox One X (originally codenamed Project Scorpio), will be arriving in November. That muzzled Sony somewhat, with the company showcasing its latest titles - including Days Gone and God of War gameplay - with little additional comment. Nintendo, meanwhile, quietly announced some explosive titles - including a Pokemon RPG for Switch - in its live-stream.

With the doors to the show open to the public from midday Tuesday 13 June at the LA Convention Center, we're sure that public reaction and appreciation will dictate which company won E3... although, with hardware and software coming out of our ears, we're all winners.

Top among its titles was the unveiling of Forza Motorsport 7, which will be released October 3 2017 - more than a month ahead of the new console. Crackdown 3, however, will arrive on 7 November, in tandem with Xbox One X.

Deep Silver's Metro Exodus, the latest in the post-apocalyptic open-world shooter series, was also shown off in terrifying 4K glory. It will be released in 2018.

In the usual "call and reply" head-to-head between Xbox and PlayStation, we had expected Sony to pull the wraps off a major new title. That wasn't precisely the case, however, with the company using its pre-E3 conference at the Shrine Auditorium to let the games talk.

God of War really looks as though Santa Monica Studio has struck an interesting balance between Kratos and his son - both of whom you will command as player in their journey - in a mix of storytelling and no-holds-barred fighting. The game will be released in early 2018.

A slew of virtual reality titles were also revealed, showing ongoing support for PlayStation VR. Skyrim VR from Bethesda; Star Child; The Inpatient; Monster of the Deep (which is a Final Fantasy fishing game... yes, really); Bravo Team; and Moss (in which you play a mouse knight... again, yes really) show the diversity of what Sony's VR platform can offer - and as Microsoft wasn't talking VR whatsoever with Xbox One X, it's the PS4's one leg-up.

Other big-hitters included Shadow of the Colossus, from Japan Studio, which is a reimagination of the PlayStation 2 original. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon: Zero Dawn's DLC The Frozen Wilds also roused interest.

Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream's latest, in which Android police live among us in society - was also on display, setting the benchmark for movie-like games.

The PlayStation event was closed out with a PS4 exclusive: Spider-Man. Perhaps an unexpected closing title - no Red Dead 2, no Last of Us 2, no Death Stranding - it's a title Sony is keen to show-off, given its exclusive status. It looks similar to Arkham City in some respects, except played out in daylight, with added web-slinging thrown in for good measure.

Nintendo doesn't hold a press conference during E3 - those days are long gone - but it hosted a Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017 video presentation on Tuesday 13 June. And it was all about the Switch.

It's fair to say Nintendo is often seen as the underdog compared to the other big two. It's also fair to say it announced some really big-deal titles, from a new Kirby and Metroid Prime 4, to an as-yet-unnamed Pokemon RPG game due in 2018/19.

The Switch's biggest title, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, also has The Master Trials and The Champions Ballad DLC content coming this holiday period. There's new armour, the Korok Mask, a Master Mode (super hard mode), plus Hero's Path to track every step you've been on the map.

New Zelda Amiibo are coming too: the four champions from Breath of the Wild - Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa - will all be available to buy and use in Breath of the Wild and its DLC.

Nintendo wouldn't be Nintendo without Mario, so obviously the company showed off more of its upcoming Super Mario Odyssey. In the game it appears Mario can almost possess other enemies and objects, from a taxi to a Tyrannosaurus, or Goomba to Bullet Bill. How's that for a major twist in Mario's development?

Beyond Nintendo's own announcements, it's great to see other developers getting on board too: from Skyrim to FIFA 18 and beyond, the Switch is a console that's getting a far stronger foothold than its Wii U predecessor.

Ubisoft at E3 2017

Major games

Beyond Good And Evil 2

Assassin's Creed: Origins

Far Cry 5

Skull & Bones

The Crew 2

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: Phone Destroyer (mobile app game)

Starlink: Battle For Atlas

Rayman Legends Definitive Edition for Switch

Steep for Switch

Ubisoft always hosts its press conference on the Monday prior to the show doors opening and that was no different this year.

Its press conference kicked off by rolling out Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, to confirm that Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle isn't just a rumour game, but a reality. Described as "unlike any Mario game ever made before", this exploration meets turn-based battle game, which is exclusive for Nintendo Switch and released on August 29, certainly looks like a unique take.

Assassin's Creed: Origins, which is set in ancient Egypt for this latest release, is a game that's garnered a lot of attention ahead of E3 2017, plus it will be optimised for the highest 4K graphical fidelity on Xbox One X. Unlike previous Assassin's Creed titles, Origins ditches the mini map and towers approach, instead opting for an eagle to scout and tag enemies.

Online racer The Crew also has a sequel incoming: The Crew 2. It takes racing up a notch, with street racing, boats, planes, off-road and more. This looks like Ubi's title to take on Forza and Need For Speed.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole finally gets a release date, too, after being delayed from last year. The turn-based RPG will be available October 17. Not content with just one game, however, there will also be a mobile app game, South Park: Phone Destroyer, also released this year.

Fancy playing "the ultimate pirate experience"? Skull & Bones shows that Ubisoft isn't finished with pirates after Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, with this all new online player-vs-player and single player game of the seas.

Starlink: Battle For Atlas is a space exploration game for PS4, Xbox One and Switch, all of which feature physical toys-to-life starships that connect to the controllers and provide interaction.

Far Cry 5 was also shown off in more detail, with some in-game action finally revealed. Set in fictional Hope County, Montana, Far Cry's fifth outing is set in the modern day, where a fanatical cult has overrun the area - leaving it up to you to raise hell with your guns for hire to put things right. We played the game ahead of E3's doors opening and it feels every bit Far Cry: brutal, open-world fun that you can take on in any tactical way that you please.

The biggest reveal of the lot, however, was Beyond Good And Evil 2 - the sequel that's almost 15 years in the making. It's a game that tugs on a lot of heartstrings, and it's easy to see why - just watch the jaw-dropping trailer above, because BGE2 looks rather special.

EA at E3 2017

Major games

Anthem

Star Wars: Battlefront 2

A Way Out

FIFA 18 (including The Journey: Hunter Returns story mode)

FIFA for Switch

Madden NFL 18 (including Long Shot story mode)

NBA Live 18

Need for Speed Payback

Electronic Arts was the first to kick off the pre-E3 announcements, ahead of all the major conferences listed above, with its pre-show at the Hollywood Palladium.

Biggest among all its announcements was a teaser of BioWare's newest game, Anthem, which Xbox showed off in far greater detail.

EA Sports has a strong series of sports games franchises, with FIFA, Madden NFL and NBA each getting their 2018 updates. Madden features Long Shot, its story mode, while FIFA 18 will continue player Alex Hunter's story in The Journey: Hunter Returns. We've got a full feature detailing the game (link below).

The game to arguably steal the showcase, however, was A Way Out. This EA Originals title, by Swedish studio Hazelight, is a split-screen two player co-op game - and that's the only way it can be played.

Whether online or with a friend in the same room, the split screen dynamic is always in play - with player one on the left, player two on the right, adding a dynamism of the two points of view. It looks like a really clever take on multiplayer.

Bethesda at E3 2017

Major games

Wolfenstein 2

The Evil Within 2

Skyrim for Nintendo Switch

Doom VR

Fallout 4 VR

Quake Champions

Like Microsoft, Bethesda's conference happened on the Sunday before the show. It was set off-site in a theme-park style "Bethesdaland", before a standing only presentation.

We weren't expecting heaps of announcements from Bethesda this year, which rang true: Doom VR (well, VFR, if you can work out the nod to BFG there), Fallout 4 VR, DLC content for Dishonored, a community mods system for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on consoles, the beta announcement of Quake Champions, and Skyrim unveiled for Nintendo Switch.

It was the final two announcements that got the crowd worked up all the more: The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus head up the company's sequels march.

Best of all, everything announced by Bethesda will be released within 2017.

Activision at E3 2017

Major games

Call of Duty: WW2

Destiny 2

Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy

Activision opted for a low-key E3 in 2016, with its only presence at the show being behind closed doors. There will be a bigger showing this year though, with Destiny 2 and a return to the second World War for Call of Duty: WW2 at the very least.

The remastered Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy will also be at the show surely, considering it comes out later in June.

What other games companies will be at E3 2017?

Hundreds of publishers and developers show their wares at E3 each year, either on the show floor or behind closed doors (BCD) in private rooms. This year's event will be no different. As well as the companies above, there will be plenty of other games publishers and hardware manufacturers, including:

Bandai Namco

Capcom

Deep Silver

Focus Home Interactive

Konami

Oculus

Nvidia

Razer

Rebellion

Sega

Square Enix

Take-Two

Warner Bros

E3 2017 games

Alongside the games from the major publishers, these are the games rumoured to be shown, even playable, at E3 2017. There are likely to be plenty more as the show goes on.

Agents of Mayhem (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Borderlands 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Formula One 2017 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Metal Gear Survive (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Micro Machines World Series (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Middle-Earth, Shadow of War (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

NBA 2K18 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

PES 2018 (PS4, Xbox One)

Project Cars 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Project Sonic (PS4, Switch, PC)

Rogue Trooper Redux (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Sonic Forces (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch)

Strange Brigade (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

WWE 2K18 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Vampyr (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

There will also be plenty of virtual reality games for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

What else we'd like to see at E3 2017

While we always learn about certain games ahead of E3, there are several we hope for even though the chances are slim. The same applies to hardware. Here then is what we are hoping for at E3 2017.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar had already confirmed Red Dead Redemption 2 for a Q4 release in 2017, but that looks like being 2018 now. The developer rarely attends E3 so we doubt there'll be a major insight this year. But here's hoping it'll try and steal the show by throwing out a new trailer during the show itself, just to ruffle some feathers.

Oculus Rift 2

With Oculus Touch now in everybody's hands - literally - the next phase for the company could be an all-new version of the headset. Maybe we'll even see something announced during E3.

More SteamVR headsets

HTC might also soon announce a HTC Vive 2 device, but considering Valve's exclusive may be running out soon, we might be about to see other manufacturers jump on board. Asus, for example, has recently revealed that it is to invest heavily in VR this year.

We'll add more to our wishlist as they occur to us. If there are games or hardware you would like to see announced or shown at E3 this year, let us know in the comments below.